This application claims the benefit of Japanese Patent application No. 2000-203017 which is hereby incorporated by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an improvement in a spectacle frame which is provided with an ear bend.
2. Related Background Art
An ear bend (drop end) is a kind of an auricular side (temporal side) part of a spectacle frame, and requires a comfortable touch when the spectacles are worn by the wearer as a part in direct contact with the wearer""s body. Generally, an ear bend in the form of a skull temple is used (FIG. 17). Ear bends are formed of plastics and, in case of an ear bend of the skull temple type, the spectacle frame is easily put on or off so that the wearer can obtain a conformable touch in the worn state for a long time.
However, a spectacle frame with the skull-temple type ear bends has a drawback that it is liable to slip off or slip down in a vigorous sport or vibration or owing to perspiration.
In order to prevent such slip of the spectacle frame, the ear bends have been subjected to various improvements. For instance, there is an ear bend called a winding cable type which has the form close to a semi circle, as shown in FIG. 18. With the winding cable type ear bends, though the spectacle frame is difficult to slip off, compared with that having the skull-temple type ear bends, more trouble and time are required to put on and off the spectacle frame. Moreover, due to larger areas on the ear bends in contact with the wearer""s skin (back sides of the ears), the wearer is liable to feel a pain for a long time use.
Also, there is proposed an arrangement of a spectacle frame with a springing force in the ear bend portion, as disclosed in the Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-181434, or a spectacle frame in an arrangement capable of adjusting a relative position between the temple and the ear bend, as disclosed in the Utility Model Publication No. 3040039.
Furthermore, according to the Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-304744, there is proposed a spectacle frame which can stabilize the ear bends by pressing them all the time against the back sides of the ears by means of a magnetic force or a spring force.
However, these conventional spectacle frames can only attain either one of the advantages (1) to prevent a slip off or down of a spectacle frame caused by a sport, vibration or perspiration, and (2) to easily put on or off the spectacle frame and to obtain a conformable worn state for a long time. However these both advantages can not be achieved at the same time.
An object of the present invention is to provide a spectacle frame which can satisfy both of the above advantages (1) and (2) at the same time.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a spectacle frame with the ear bends each comprising an auricular front member connected to the temple, an auricular back member connectable with the wearer from the back of the ear, and a connecting member for connecting the front member and the back member to be rotatable, further comprising pressing means capable of selectively changing (1) a first state in which the back member presses the back of the ear, with (2) a second state in which the back member does not press the back of the ear.
In the first state, since the back member presses the ear, the spectacle frame hardly slips off and is stable even in vigorous activities such as a sport. The first state is replaced with the second state with one touch, and since the back member does not press the ear in the second state, the spectacle frame can be easily put off.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the spectacle frame according to the first aspect, an elongated hole is formed on the front member on the side connected to the back member, the elongated hole includes a spring therein, a ball is placed on the back end of the spring, and the ball is biased backward by the spring. On the other hand, a cam approximately having the shape of an isosceles triangle is provided in front of the back member, and the cam is to be brought into contact with the ball so that the ball presses the cam. However, since the cam approximately has the shape of an isosceles triangle, and the ball is brought into contact with either one of the two oblique sides of the isosceles triangle, whereby the contacted oblique side is pressed, the back member is resultantly rotated in the direction A for coming closer to the back of the ear or in the direction B for going far from the back of the ear by using the connecting member as the center of rotation. When the back member is rotated in the direction A, the back member comes in the first state for pressing the back of the ear. On the other hand, when the back member is rotated in the direction B, the back member comes in the second state for not pressing the back of the ear. As a result, it is possible to selectively realize the first state or the second state easily by pressing the back member either in the direction A or the direction B.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided the spectacle frame according to either one of the first aspect and the second aspect, which is characterized in that the front member comprises an adjustment mechanism for adjusting a position for connection between the temple and the front member on the side connected to the temple, so that the length from the front end of the temple to the back end of the front member is adjustable.